Question

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom ?

Answer 1

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom is called the atomic number (Z). This value equals the number of a certain element in a periodic table. A number of protons determine the amount of positively and negatively charged particles in the atom. As a result, the number of protons is equal to the number of electrons and specifies the number of electrons in the outermost valence shell influencing specific chemical properties of the atom.